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Style Watch: Rattan Revolution
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If you're planning a family holiday in the States, take note. U.S. airlines' practice of allowing a toddler to fly seated on an adult's lap was criticized in early August when the country's National Transportation Safety Board recommended that kids under two years old be restrained in their own seats while in the air. So far, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has declined to make that mandatory, citing a 1995 study that concluded the cost of buying another ticket might force more families to drive—and risk roadway accidents. Still, the FAA advises that a child weighing less than 18 kg fly in a safety or car seat buckled into his own seat on the plane. If you're flying on a U.S. carrier and decide to get your toddler a seat, ask the airline whether it gives discounts on tickets for children under age 2; many airlines offer up to half off. Rules vary for other national carriers. Icelandair and Lufthansa, for example, don't allow the use of safety seats during takeoff and landing, while Alitalia bans them altogether and charges an extra fee for lap riders.

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